Woman of the Week: Joan Dunlop

We celebrate the accomplishments of Joan Dunlop in advancing women’s rights. Joan Dunlop, was a British women’s health advocate and activist and the first president of the International Women’s Health Coalition.

Ms. Dunlop devoted herself to expanding women’s rights to control their own bodies. She worked at the Population Council, with Rockefeller, helping to broaden its research to include gender roles and sexuality.

She was also a fierce advocate of ensuring women had access to family planning services, so that women could choose when and if they wanted children. She would declare that “if women had better living standards and more independence, they would be empowered to decide how many children they will bear.”

We thank Joan Dunlop for her advocacy and activism. It is people like her that help to advance women’s rights around the globe.